Lilly will make its first presentation of solanezumab data from the recently failed Phase III EXPEDITION3 study during the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease meeting where researchers will discuss amyloid beta and other hypotheses in Alzheimer’s disease Dec. 8-10 in San Diego.

Research led by UK company Proteome Sciences and King's College London could lead to a clinical blood test for Alzheimer's disease within five years, and, more immediately, could be helpful in selecting patients for clinical trials of new drugs for the condition. Given the enormous failure rate for drug trials in this indication, it is thought that recruiting patients to drug trials earlier in the disease process before irreversible damage is caused could prove more effective, especially as it is thought that Alzheimer's can be asymptomatic for up to ten years.

Having failed to meet its co-primary endpoints in the second of four Phase III trials, development of iv bapineuzumab in Alzheimer's disease has been abandoned. Discontinuation of this eagerly anticipated candidate will reignite debate surrounding the appropriateness of targeting beta amyloid in cases where plaques are already present, and shine the spotlight firmly on Lilly's solanezumab, says Datamonitor's Charlotte Mackey.

In Vivo briefly describes these recently founded companies: Archer Pharmaceuticals, Arginetix, Carmat, Catena Pharmaceuticals, EnzymeRX, and P&H Therapeutics.